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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28018962">'tis the damn season</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/augustren/pseuds/augustren'>augustren</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Angst but not too much, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Small Towns, Winter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:47:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,353</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28018962</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/augustren/pseuds/augustren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Adora Greyskull is the biggest pop star in the world </p><p>and Catra's ex-best friend.</p><p>After the fight, Catra spent months ignoring Adora's calls and messages, doing anything she could to avoid her. Catra was pretty successful so far.</p><p>Until Adora showed up on her doorstep the day before Christmas Eve.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adora &amp; Bow &amp; Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow &amp; Glimmer (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra &amp; Glimmer (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>474</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>title is from the song by taylor swift, story inspired by christmas tree farm.</p><p>any other taylor swift song references are completely coincidental </p><p>enjoy!! :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>102 days, 5 hours, and 35 minutes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been that long since Adora left her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was the biggest argument they had ever had. Catra was so upset that night, she walked straight out of Adora’s apartment at 12 am with nowhere to go in a city she had never been in before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora was only fifteen years old when she got the record deal and sixteen when she released her first album. It was hard to watch Adora move to California and have this new and better life, one that Catra wasn’t a part of. Catra watched from the sidelines as the entire nation fell in love with Adora. Her Adora. The Adora that decided they just </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be best friends in first grade because they had the same favorite food. The Adora that would play Catra all of the songs she wrote, no matter what stage of completion they were in. The Adora that she had been in love with for as long as she could remember.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But being famous meant having a busy schedule. And while Adora tried to keep in contact, even flying out to Pennsylvania to see Catra a few times, there was a distance between them that hadn’t been there before. Adora would stay up late on nights she had early morning performances or interviews, simply because she wanted to talk to Catra. It was nice to have someone care that much. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Adora was perfect, and perfect never lasted long for Catra.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was her first trip to California. Catra tried to make it seem like she was there because she wanted to travel to LA, but she was only there for Adora.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra hated the heat. She hated the city. But Adora made an effort to come see her, so she could do the same. Plus, she was worried about Adora. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t call as much, and she was obviously getting run down and worn out. Years of concerts and tours and album releases and interviews, and Adora had taken almost no breaks. She was letting this life consume her, and Catra wouldn’t stand by and watch it happen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was how Catra found herself in Adora’s kitchen at 12am, desperately trying to reason with her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You can’t keep doing this, Adora! What happens when you finally burn out?”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I won’t! I am twenty five years old, Catra. I don’t need you telling me what to do with my life.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m trying to help you! Can’t you see that?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’re not helping! You come into my home and tell me what to do with my life. You don’t understand, you won’t ever understand! I don’t need this. If you don’t like it then leave, Catra. ”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Catra did. She ran straight out of the apartment, grabbing her small duffle bag that was still by the door. She was followed down the stairs by Adora’s pleas of </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘wait’</span>
  </em>
  <span> and ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>I didn’t mean it’</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But Catra ran out into the street, and Adora didn’t follow after.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The words echoed in Catra’s head for months. Adora said she didn’t need this, but Catra heard what went unspoken.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She doesn’t need you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra had taken the time to fly to California, saving a few weeks worth of pay just to afford the flight. And this was what she got in return.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She loved Adora. She had for as long as she could remember. Catra had loved Adora since before she even knew what to call the feeling. But she didn’t like Adora like this. She was overworking herself, chasing a perfect ideal that even she couldn’t achieve. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was the news of the tour that was the last straw. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora had been performing all around LA for months, putting out songs and working on a new album. Year after year, the need to be perfect and successful in this industry was slowly consuming her. It was to the point where Adora was skipping meals and sleep just to stay up and write songs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra blamed it on Adora’s manager, the one and only Sharon Weaver. She was known for her skills in finding talent and raising stars. But she also overworked them. And most of the singers she had under her management were burned out by the ripe age of thirty. It wasn’t supposed to be like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Catra knew Adora, she knew her need to be perfect. She was always a straight A student and participated in as many sports and clubs as the school would allow. Adora was adored by all the teachers. Anything less than 110% effort, Adora wouldn’t give it. Her projects had always been outstanding, and she finished things weeks before their deadlines. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she got signed, it made it all so much worse. She had to be perfect with the whole world watching her. Any person would feel stressed in that situation, especially Adora. But Adora didn’t take breaks. She didn’t admit that she was overworked. Everything was always fine. Because it had to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The announcement of the tour was Catra’s breaking point. She got a text from Adora a few days before the official announcement and ticket sales. The tour would be six months long, from March to August. Adora was putting out an album in November, which meant the next few months would be packed with interviews and performances and appearances, and tour rehearsals on top of that. Adora had barely gotten a break since the last album release.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was the same cycle since she was sixteen years old. Release album, press tour, actual tour, write for new album. Over and over and over again. Even for someone who loved music as much as Adora, this was too much.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so Catra had tried to reason with her. She flew all the way to California to see a ghost of the woman she once knew. And there in the refrigerator light of Adora’s kitchen, she begged her not to do the tour.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You don’t have to be perfect all the time!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes I do! This is the same way it’s always been, Catra.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“And that’s the problem! You are wearing yourself out. Soon there won’t be anything left you can give to anybody. You’re going to burn out.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m not! You know Weaver, this is just how it is.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“But it doesn’t have to be this way! This is your life, Adora. What do you want?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course, Adora didn’t know what she wanted. And as much as Catra had wished she would say her, she knew it wouldn’t happen. Adora would never want Catra like that, she would never choose Catra over this life. Because why would she? She had shiny new friends and fancy quartz countertops in expensive LA apartments, she didn’t need some girl from Pennsylvania who worked on a christmas tree farm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra crashed in a motel that night and was on the first flight to Pennsylvania the next morning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>102 days, 5 hours, 35 minutes, 60 missed calls, and 34 unread text messages later, led Catra here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was December 23, two days before Christmas. The farm was just getting out of the busiest time of year, even though people were surprisingly still buying Christmas trees this late in the month.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra had spent the last few months focusing on the farm and her work. Anything to distract her from what happened in September.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora had tried and tried to contact Catra. She texted her, called her, and messaged her on several different social media apps. Catra blocked her number in November after the album release. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Most of the texts were just variations of </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I miss you’</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’m so sorry’</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But it didn’t change the fact that Adora was still doing the tour. She ignored Catra and any time she had tried to help, she was just unappreciative. It hurt Catra more than anything to watch her best friend fade away. Adora didn’t deserve that. But if she wasn’t going to accept Catra’s help, then Catra couldn’t help her. And while it was Catra who walked out, it was really Adora who left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Adora was still reaching out, Catra wouldn’t know. She wouldn’t care, either (or at least she would pretend she didn’t).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra focused on the road as she drove back to the farm. The rural parts of Pennsylvania had nothing to offer but trees and occasionally pretty skies. The small Christmas tree farm, run by her adoptive parents Micah and Angella, was only ten minutes away now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra was adopted when she was six and had lived on the farm with her adoptive parents and sister ever since. The house on the property was huge, with six bedrooms and four bathrooms. There were two separate wings of the house, one of them claimed by Catra and Glimmer once they had gotten older and wanted some space from their parents. They still lived at home in hopes of inheriting the farm one day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra and Glimmer had been promoted to assistant managers of the farm when they graduated high school. The job paid well, and Catra liked it here. She didn’t see a reason to go to college, especially given how expensive it was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was about five minutes away from the farm now, noting the familiar curve of the road. Catra was halfway lost in her own thoughts when she was immediately pulled out of it by the sound of the radio.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A familiar guitar strummed the opening to the song, followed by the synth and the beat and a voice Catra knew all too well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Midnight,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You come and pick me up-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra turned off the radio. She didn’t even feel like changing the channel, afraid that some Adora song would come on again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It's not that her music was bad. Catra had always loved Adora’s songs. But it was hard to listen to your ex best friend all the damn time. Adora was </span>
  <em>
    <span>everywhere. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It was to the point where Catra hated going on her phone or into the city because there would always be an ad promoting Adora’s music or someone wearing her merch. That woman was the plague. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So Catra drove the rest of the way to the farm in silence, with only the low hum of the motor and the rustling of the grocery bags in the backseat to keep her company. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She watched as the sky turned new shades of dark purple and blue. It wasn’t that late, maybe six at the latest. But the sun went down quicker here, which Catra hated because it meant they had to wake up earlier to make the most out of the little daylight they had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she pulled up the long driveway, Catra was relieved to be home. It was an unbearably long day, and she would be mad at Glimmer for making her drive to the grocery store if she wasn’t so tired.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra turned the keys and took them out from the ignition, slamming the door shut and walking to the back door. Determined to make one trip, she slipped all fifteen bags on to her arms and held the keys with her left hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shut the door, locked it, and began walking up to the porch when she noticed a figure standing there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Catra hadn’t known better, she would have thought it was some confused customer waiting to be helped. But looking at the silhouette of the person and noticing that blonde ponytail and stupid hair poof, Catra knew who this was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck are you doing here?” Catra marched up to the porch and watched as the figure jumped at the sound of her voice. The woman turned around and her grey eyes finally met Catra’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora looked terrible. She was visibly shaking, from stress or the cold, Catra couldn’t tell. There were heavy bags under her eyes and her hair was far more messy than she usually allowed. Adora carried nothing but a small duffle bag. She looked lost. She was an absolute mess, which only made it all the more frustrating that she was still absolutely stunning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra dropped the groceries on the porch, not caring if the bread got smashed. Adora opened her and closed her mouth, trying to give an explanation that she very obviously didn’t have. It looked as if she didn’t expect Catra to be here, at her own house.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you come to apologize? Because I won’t accept it. I can’t-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I cancelled the tour.” Adora blurted. Catra’s eyes widened at the interruption. In the past five minutes, Adora had shown up at her house unannounced and told her that she cancelled the tour. Catra stood there for a moment, feeling like she was just slapped across the face. She couldn’t think of anything to say, so she didn’t. Adora looked just as surprised when Catra wordlessly unlocked the door and motioned for her to go in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Micah and Angella were absolutely thrilled that Adora had come to visit, because why wouldn’t they be? She was practically a third daughter to them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora spent most of her childhood in playdates and sleepovers with Catra in this very house. Adora always cleaned up after herself and would occasionally help with the chores. Micah and Angella were always so happy to have Adora over, and gladly offered to drive if she and Catra needed a ride somewhere.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra loved her parents so much, and knew they were just as happy as she was when Adora came over. Micah and Angella had given her and Glimmer the best childhood they could have ever asked for, and Catra couldn’t have been more grateful. She hated disappointing them, which is why she never told them about what happened in September.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The minute Catra and Adora walked through the door and into the foyer, Angella had jumped up from her spot on the couch to greet her. Adora was suffocated with endless hugs from the entire family the moment she stepped in the house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once the chaos had settled, and it had been decided that Adora would stay here for the night, Catra went up to her bedroom and shut the door. She was in no mood to talk to Adora. She had plenty of people she could talk to downstairs, afterall. When Catra left the living room, Bow and Glimmer had been bringing Adora a cup of hot chocolate and asking about her flight. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra felt like she could pass out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And she almost did. She was half asleep when she heard her door creak open. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Catra?” Adora’s voice was barely above a whisper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra groaned and pulled the covers over her head in response, as if that would hide her from Adora and make the woman in her doorway disappear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go away.” Catra mumbled from under the covers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora didn’t, of course. Catra heard the door close and the footsteps near her bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please just talk to me, Catra.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t going to stop trying. That wouldn’t be like Adora at all. Catra knew by the sound of the footsteps that Adora was close to her bed. The next thing she knew, the covers were being thrown off of her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why are you acting like this?” Adora raised her voice, desperate for an answer. Catra sat up and glared at her. “I come here to apologize and you ignore me the whole time?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Give me one good reason why I should listen to you.” Catra got out of her bed and stood up to face Adora. The blonde faltered for a moment, as if she had expected Catra to be nice and ready to listen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I came here to see you, Catra. I came to apologize, I-” Adora looked at the floor. “I thought about what you said and I canceled the tour. Please just listen to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Adora reached for Catra’s wrist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her hand was warm, leaving a trail of fire where she touched Catra’s skin. Catra wanted nothing more than to slip her hand into Adora’s and intertwine their fingers. But no matter what her feelings were, she was still upset with Adora.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care why you’re here. I don’t have to listen to you.” Catra pulled her arm out of Adora’s reach and turned around to start walking back to her bed. “Just leave, Adora.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s the funny thing-” Adora scratched the back of her neck nervously. “I’m actually stuck here for the next few days.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra spun around, taking notice of the deep red color on Adora’s cheeks. She watched as the blonde wrung her hands, a nervous tic of hers that she had had since they were kids. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Catra’s voice was quiet and more uneven than she had hoped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s supposed to be a storm later tonight. Besides, everyone is going to be flying home for the holidays. No flights until Friday at the latest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora was going to be stuck in this house, with Catra, for the next few days. That meant she would be here for Christmas. That meant she would be here for Micah and Angella’s infamous Christmas Eve party. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra thought about it for a moment. Even if she wanted to talk to Adora (which she didn’t), she was too tired to gather her thoughts and say what she actually wanted to say. But with Adora standing right here in front of her, desperate and hopeful, she couldn’t say no. But she didn’t have to be nice about it either. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to bed. We can talk tomorrow.” Catra plainly stated, watching as Adora’s face lifted and the biggest grin spread across her face. She also watched as Adora stopped grinning and tried to look more cool and confident, like she knew Catra would agree.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, sure.” Adora tried to be smooth and so hilariously failed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stood there for a moment in time with nothing but the quiet sound of nervous breathing filling the space between them. Adora didn’t make a move to leave, even though Micah and Angella had probably already set her up with a guest room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Adora.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Adora’s eyes were practically glistening with hope.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can leave my room now.” Catra’s response didn’t come out as mean as she hoped. She just didn’t have enough energy to be angry at Adora right now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, right.” Adora turned to leave, walking to the door and opening it before she looked back at Catra. She was getting in her bed, already buried beneath her comforter and about twelve other blankets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight, Catra.” Adora’s voice was so quiet that Catra barely heard it. Adora said it softly enough that it seemed like she wasn’t expecting Catra to hear it, or even respond. But she did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight, Adora.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra awoke to the same sunlight streaming in through her window, just the same as every morning. When she fully came back to consciousness, she recognized the smell of pancakes coming from the kitchen downstairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra was relieved when she remembered that it was now Christmas Eve, which meant no work for the next two days. She had spent the last few days with Glimmer and Bow getting the farm ready to close. They had sold the last of the trees and were </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span> than ready to take a break. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra was not so relieved when she remembered the woman she had been avoiding for months was right down the hall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She groaned and rolled over, blindly reaching on the nightstand for her phone. The light of the screen was too bright for… 7:05 in the morning. It was thirty minutes before her alarm was supposed to go off, but there was no way she was going back to sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra opened her phone to a few unread text messages and other social media notifications. Her first move was opening twitter, scrolling through her feed and catching up on what she missed while she was sleeping.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only thing she missed, of course, was the news of a world famous pop star being spotted at the airport. Catra clicked on the name that was number #9 on trending. She was greeted with paparazzi photos and more blurry ones taken on regular cell phones. All showed the same thing - a blonde woman walking through the airport, wearing sunglasses in a lazy attempt to avoid paparazzi attention. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>News articles popped up with headlines reading something along the lines of ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Pop Star Adora Greyskull Spotted at LAX’</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra scrolled to see fan accounts and articles questioning where the star could possibly be going. Was she going home for Christmas? Was she going to shoot a music video? Was she in a secret relationship?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Little did they know that </span>
  <em>
    <span>the </span>
  </em>
  <span>Adora Greyskull was currently on some Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra laughed at the commotion over the idiot staying down the hall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She checked the time again, now reading 7:20. If she wasn’t up and ready by 8, Glimmer was going to have her head. This family did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>mess around with Christmas Eve party preparations.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra reluctantly climbed out of the warm comfort of her bed, going over to her closet and grabbing a pair of maroon sweatpants and a black long sleeve shirt. It was so damn cold this time of year. The only solution was standing under the hottest water the shower would produce and wrapping yourself up in the warmest clothing you could find before burying yourself in blankets. Sadly, Catra didn’t have time for the last part.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra grabbed her phone and walked out to the hallway to grab a towel from the linen closet and head to the bathroom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t know what to expect during Adora’s stay, but it was definitely not seeing the blonde walk out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel at 7:20 in the morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra’s eyes widened as she felt her cheeks heat. She dropped the clothes and phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora looked just as surprised as her, her cheeks turning the same shade of red that had already spread across Catra’s. Sure, this had been Adora’s second home growing up. She had gotten more than comfortable showering here and invading the kitchen over the years. But it was no small thing to see the ex best friend (who you were in love with) in nothing but a towel, </span>
  <em>
    <span>especially</span>
  </em>
  <span> this early in the morning. Catra rushed to pull her focus away from the water droplets running down Adora’s collarbone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra realized it probably wasn’t a good idea for her to just stand there and gape at the woman in front of her. She dropped down to pick up her things off the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora bent down as well, gathering the shirt and Catra’s phone in her hand. Her finger must have touched the screen or something, as the device lit up from the contact. Adora had a wistful look on her face mixed with something else Catra couldn’t quite place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora had definitely seen Catra’s lock screen - a photo of the two on the farm when they were younger. Adora had been bundled up in a red snowsuit, Catra opposite her in a blue one. The two were no more than seven in the photo, and covered in snow. It was Adora’s first time on the farm, and they had wasted no time getting into trouble. They spent the afternoon rolling in the snow and chasing each other and laughing their heads off. The picture caught them in one of those moments, mid-laugh. Adora had her arms wrapped around Catra, her eyes shut tight and the biggest smile on her face. Catra was grinning just as brightly beside her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra could say that she forgot to change the picture or some other dumb excuse, but Adora would never believe it. Instead, she grabbed the t-shirt and phone from Adora and stood up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.” Catra’s voice cracked despite her best efforts to have that </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> happen. She mustered up whatever dignity she had left and made her way to the bathroom, trying her best not to look back at Adora.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra was relieved to find that Adora was not at breakfast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apparently she had eaten while Catra was showering, not that Catra minded. Sitting alone was better than the awkward silence that she had with Adora. There were too many words left unsaid between them that hung in the air as a haunting reminder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra had so much to say and no idea how to say it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She got up from the table, unable to stomach any more soggy cereal. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There wasn’t much to do today in the ways of decorating. Lights had already been strung all throughout the house and there were garland and ribbons all over. The Christmas tree had been decorated for weeks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Netossa and Spinnerella owned a catering business that always supplied the party with more than enough food. They were family friends of Micah and Angella, and helped out with Christmas Eve for as long as Catra could remember. The only reason she still attended these things was for the meatball sandwiches they made.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bow and Glimmer decided they would try baking this year. Netossa and Spinnerella brought cupcakes and other little sweets, but Glimmer had decided that she and Bow would bake cookies and make fudge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra didn’t have much to do this year besides helping set up tables and getting drinks and making sure Glimmer didn’t burn down the house.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only thing Catra had to worry about was the talk she promised she would have with Adora. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra wanted Adora to leave. She wanted Adora to apologize, to say that she should have never come here in the first place. It was too much to have Adora in the same house as her. Because as much as Catra wanted her to leave, all she ever wanted was Adora to say that she wanted Catra too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra wished more than anything that this would be a normal christmas. That Adora had never moved to California and they could spend Christmas like they always did. They could go out and look at the lights and get hot chocolate without worrying about the cameras that were watching them. Adora hadn’t been home in what felt like forever, and Catra just wanted to go around this town and check out all of their old haunts without it being a headline.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew it was selfish to wish that Adora hadn’t got the record deal, that she never moved to California. But Adora always wanted more. She was always destined for greater things, and nothing Catra could have done would've changed that. No one would stay in some small town in Pennsylvania just for Catra. She just simply wasn’t enough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What the fuck are you doing here?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>The words echoed in Adora’s mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The entire night was spent reliving the scene of Catra coming home to find Adora standing by the door, waiting to knock. She went over the conversation they had in Catra’s room so many times that it was burned in the back of her mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora didn’t get that much sleep. She tried mediating and pacing the room, even checking social media. Nothing worked. And when she finally did fall asleep, she fell into empty dreams.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only thing motivating Adora to get out of bed was the fact that Catra had promised they would talk. Adora knew Catra really only said it so she would leave her alone, but Adora wasn’t leaving without having that talk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even though she hadn’t seen Catra since this morning, she was sure they would have to speak sometime. Adora was staying here for the next few days, afterall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora still smiled when she remembered Catra’s lockscreen. She hadn’t seen that picture in years, but she remembered it so vividly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was her first time on the farm, as Catra and Adora had just started being friends. It had snowed so much that winter. On that day, a good couple feet of snow had piled up overnight. School was canceled and Adora had nothing to do. So when Catra’s parents had called her parents asking if Adora wanted to come over, Adora obviously agreed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mother forced her to wear this new, puffy red snowsuit that Adora absolutely hated. She could barely move in it and she really just felt like a giant marshmallow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra and Adora spent almost the entire afternoon outside. They chased each other through the maze of Christmas trees, throwing snowballs and laughing. They decided to enlist Micah’s help at building snow forts after their many failed attempts at snowmen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was late in the afternoon, and the majority of Adora’s hair had come out of its ponytail. Wisps of hair stuck to her face with sweat that she was unable to wipe with her mittens on. Her cheeks were red from being out in the cold all day. Her best friend standing next to her looked much the same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Say cheese!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Micah held his camera out to snap a picture of the girls. Adora had decided to wrap her arms around Catra, catching the girl by surprise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora was cold and hot and in a snowsuit she absolutely hated, but she couldn’t have been more happy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt the same way last night. She had been swarmed at the airport by cameras and fans and when she had fallen asleep on the plane, someone got pictures and spread them around twitter. It hadn’t been a good day by any means, and it should’ve gotten worse when Catra basically told her to fuck off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Adora didn’t care what Catra said, she just needed to see Catra. They hadn’t talked in a while and it was killing her. Adora still hadn’t answered any calls or texts from Weaver, as she wasn’t in the mood to be yelled at right now. Adora was twenty five years old and had been in this industry for more than ten years. If she felt like she needed to cancel the tour, then she could cancel the tour. Any fans that actually cared about her wellbeing wouldn’t be upset with her decision. And if they were, she didn’t care. Adora needed to do this. Not only for herself, but for Catra.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If only Catra would stop avoiding her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora had missed Catra at breakfast and hadn’t seen her for almost the entire afternoon. At least they would be forced to mingle at the party tonight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora could find Catra later, but right now she was facing a serious dilemma.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Red or green?” Adora asked, holding up two bags of icing in each hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Definitely green.” Glimmer responded. They had been making cookies for the last hour. Bow was in charge of dough, Glimmer was on oven duty, and Adora was responsible for frosting and decorating.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So far, she had iced most of the gingerbread. Her only problem now was deciding what color she was going to ice this sugar cookie. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Music played through a speaker in the kitchen, soft instrumentals and voices singing of kissing under mistletoe and going home for the holidays. Bow and Glimmer hummed along, stuck in their own little world. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For the last hour she had been distracted, focusing on making cookies and answering the questions Bow and Glimmer had. They asked about LA, her favorite restaurants, what the new album release had been like, and what some of the songs were about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>She answered most of them truthfully, but Bow and Glimmer didn’t really need to know that the majority of the songs on the album were about her ex best friend who she was in love with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luckily, when her answers were vague, they didn’t press.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, are you okay?” Adora was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of Glimmer’s voice and her hand on Adora’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah. I’m fine.” Both Bow and Glimmer raised their eyebrows in suspicion. Bow, Glimmer, Catra, and Adora had been friends since, well, forever. They would know if Adora was lying (she was a singer, not an actress).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay well,” Glimmer stepped back and went over to check on the cookies in the oven. “I asked if you had anything to wear tonight. Do you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora opened and closed her mouth before shaking her head. Yesterday when she told Weaver that she wouldn’t be doing the tour, she threw any clothes she could find in a small duffle bag and got on the next flight to Philly. Adora didn’t know if she would stay at a hotel or if Catra would even speak to her. She wasn’t sure what she would need and in her haste, only threw in a few random t-shirts and jeans and sweatpants. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Probably not appropriate formal wear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Adora!” Bow put a hand on Glimmer’s shoulder to calm her down. Adora didn’t blame Glimmer for yelling, she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> stressed this time of year. And to know that the guest of honor didn’t have anything to wear tonight was concerning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry I just,” Adora stammered, setting down the piping bag and untying the apron around her waist. “I didn’t really think about the party, I-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, we understand.” Bow’s voice was gentle and peaceful. He was always the one to de-escalate conflicts and calm Glimmer down. He was probably the reason they were all still friends. “But you are going to need to go shopping.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora nodded silently. Bow and Glimmer tried to understand the best they could, but they didn’t get that it wasn’t that easy as just going out to run a quick errand. It was never that easy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora would have to throw on a hoodie and cover up as much as possible, putting on sunglasses even if it was dark outside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But she was always recognized, the paparazzi always knew where she was somehow. A trip to the grocery store or target would turn into people asking for pictures and autographs and it was just too much. Adora had learned long ago that online shopping was easier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, when she landed in Philly, the gate was packed with fans. As she stepped off the plane, one of the guards let her know and led her to a different exit. She made it off the plane unnoticed, grabbed her bags, and ordered a car.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone knew she had been at LAX and flown to Philly, but they didn’t know where </span>
  <em>
    <span>in </span>
  </em>
  <span>Philadelphia she was. Adora could just </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span> get away with running out to buy a dress.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess I could pick something up real quick. Are you and Bow fine with the rest of the cookies?” Adora asked as she took off her apron and washed her hands. Glimmer nodded. Adora turned to walk out of the kitchen when Glimmer called after her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Adora… where are you going?” Adora looked back to see Glimmer confused and Bow trying to stifle his laughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To… get a dress?” Didn’t she just tell Glimmer this?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you need a ride?” Ah, there it was. Adora knew she was forgetting something. If she was trying to not get noticed, it was probably best to not take an uber. Adora nodded, but before she could respond, Glimmer had pulled her phone out and was already typing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m texting Catra right now, she can probably drive you there in the truck.” Adora felt her face heat and she knew she was as red as the ribbon on the kitchen island. If Catra was going to drive her, that meant sitting in a car with Catra for quite some time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That wouldn’t be awkward, not one bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora could only stand by as Glimmer sent the message and she waited for Catra to come downstairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra was focused on the road. As it turns out, she had gotten much better at driving since they were teenagers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The low hum of the engine and the soft music playing on the radio was the only noise in the truck. Catra hadn’t said anything besides the usual </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘how was your day’.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p><span>This was the woman Adora was </span><em><span>in love</span></em> <em><span>with</span></em><span>, and they weren’t even past small talk yet. They had known each other far too long to still have awkward conversations and tense silences.</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was four in the afternoon and absolutely freezing out. Adora was bundled up in her big red coat and a pair of sweatpants. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, her face covered with sunglasses. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra was dressed in the maroon sweatpants and black shirt she had dropped earlier, only throwing on an extra wool coat. She started wearing her hair in a ponytail, letting her bangs frame her face. It really suited her, and Adora knew Catra probably liked having a way to do her hair that didn’t involve brushing it out of her face every five minutes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The view out the window was familiar and bittersweet. These were the same streets that she and Catra would drive on when they had just gotten their licenses, windows open and sweet summer air flowing in. It felt like forever ago that Adora was only dreaming that her songs were the ones played on the radio. Now, she prayed that none of them would come on and make the silence between her and Catra more awkward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora played almost all of her songs for Catra, no matter what they were about or how rough they were. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Style </span>
  </em>
  <span>was her most recent single. The lyrics alluded to midnight hang outs and bad driving. Catra had to know it was about her, but she didn’t make any comment on it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So…” Adora started. “What have I missed around here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra looked over at Adora, giving her a confused look before turning back to the road.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing much.” Catra didn’t sound mean or annoyed, but she obviously wasn’t in the mood for conversation. That’s fine. This was fine. Adora completely understood if Catra didn’t want to talk to her. It’s probably what she deserved.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora was about to start another conversation when she realized they had pulled up to the shop. It was a little strip of stores, all of them in various stages of closing for the upcoming holidays.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra took her keys out of the ignition and got out of the car, Adora following after. They walked to the sidewalk and up the steps to the small boutique. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was warm inside, which Adora could not have been more grateful for. It was a small store that sold gowns and dresses, among other accessories. There was no one else in the store besides the lady behind the counter, who was nice enough to ask if they needed anything and not push it once Catra had politely declined.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora unzipped her jacket and started browsing the aisles. She took a moment to really take in the boutique.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was a small town in Pennsylvania, and there was only one other person besides her and Catra in the shop. Adora decided it would be safe enough to take her hood down and remove her sunglasses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora ran her fingers along the fabrics, tracing velvet and satin fabrics in rich shades of green and red.  Catra wordlessly followed after, not even giving some of the dresses a second glance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora began to sort through the hangers and examine the dresses closer. Most were too short or too long, too bright or too fancy. After ten minutes of looking, Adora couldn’t find anything that was her style.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was about to let Catra know she couldn’t find anything when she looked up to see that the woman was gone. Adora looked down the aisle both ways and checked in between the racks, but there was so sign of Catra.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora was without a dress in a small shop in a small town and staying with her best friend that hated her. And Catra had just left her. Adora pinched the bridge of her nose, cursing herself for not doing anything. Did Catra expect her to talk? Did she not want to? Did Adora do something-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, princess.” Adora jumped at the voice coming from her right. Catra gave a raspy laugh at the blonde’s reaction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She turned to find Catra with a grin on her face and a dress in her hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought this might work.” She handed Adora the dress. It was gorgeous. Mid-length with spaghetti straps and a beautiful deep maroon color. The V-neck met a band at the waist, and the whole thing was made of satin and tulle. Catra cleared her throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you just gonna stare at it or…” Her arms were crossed and her eyebrow was quirked, looking at Adora with an amused expression. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah! That’d probably be a good idea.” Adora laughed nervously and headed towards the dressing room in the back. She went in and locked the door as Catra waited outside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The dress was perfect. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It hugged Adora’s curves just right and the color looked better on her than she expected. The v-neck went lower than she thought it would, but it was fine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora opened the door to see Catra busy on her phone. When she finally looked up, she looked at Adora like she was seeing her for the first time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora felt the blush burning her face at Catra’s reaction. Adora had been to plenty of award shows in her time. She was used to getting her makeup done and wearing dresses much more extravagant than this one. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But this time felt different.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was nothing special about this dress - just a last minute choice in a small boutique. But it was special to Adora. It was special because Catra picked it out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora brushed off dust on the skirt that wasn’t there in a desperate attempt to busy her hands. She saw Catra’s cheeks become as red as her own felt, and Adora smiled at the effect she had on the woman in front of her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you just gonna stare at it or…” Adora knew it was a risk, throwing Catra’s words back at her. They used to tease each other so much that Adora couldn’t even count the amount of times they had wrestled each other to the floor. But she worried that it was different now. They hadn’t really talked anything out, and they definitely were more distant than they had ever been. Was Catra okay with the joke? Did Adora misread the situation?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, Adora. Harsh.” Catra put her hand to her chest in a gesture of fake offense, causing them both to laugh. It was so familiar, falling back into this rhythm with Catra. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a feeling of warmth blooming in her chest, Adora went back into the dressing room to change before heading to the front with Catra and paying for the dress.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The small strip of shops was nice and quiet. A few people dotted the streets, getting last minute Christmas shopping done.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra and Adora had fallen back into comfortable small talk as they left the shop. It wasn’t much, but they were talking again. And that was fine with Adora.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The streetlights along the sidewalk were wrapped in lights and garland and ribbons. Dark was beginning to fall, and the street was bathed in the warm glow of the Christmas lights.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The storm the previous night wasn’t as bad as expected. There was barely a foot of snow on the ground, which Adora didn’t mind. She missed the snowy winters of Pennsylvania, even if everyone seemed to hate the snow and the cold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Down the street, there was a small donation stand where volunteers would stand and ring bells to grab the attention of people passing by. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra and Adora had decided they would spare a little time to walk around the street. So far they had passed shops filled with clothes and toys with various different Christmas decorations in the window.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora couldn’t remember the last time Christmas felt like this. It was supposed to be warm lights and snow and seeing family. But in California, Weaver never let her rest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora was always working on something. The past few Christmases she was putting out Christmas songs and performing at the Jingle Ball. She didn’t have time to just look at the lights and walk through the snow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But now, she was back home. She was back home with Catra. And despite all the stress and the fights and the ignored calls and messages, she wouldn’t want to be here with anyone else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two made their way down the street, Adora dropping a fifty dollar bill in the donation bucket as they passed. She was thanked for her generous donation and directed to a hot chocolate stand a little way down the street where twenty percent of the proceeds were donated as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora looked at Catra, silently asking if she wanted to get some. Catra nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that was how Adora found herself sitting on a cold bench next to Catra, slowly nursing a cup of hot chocolate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was it. Adora had her chance to say everything she wanted to say to Catra. She spent the last few months wondering what this moment would be like and preparing for any and all possibilities. Adora was scared she would slip up and say something wrong. She was terrified that Catra wouldn’t forgive her. But she had to say something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know I said it before but I’m sorry.” Adora looked over to Catra. She had her head down, seeming to pay more attention to the cup in her hand than the woman next to her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were right, telling me I was overworking myself.” Adora rubbed her gloved thumb across the lid of the cup. “Weaver gave me everything I have, I just- I felt like it was wrong if I didn’t do what she wanted. She got me a record deal, I thought the least I could do was this tour.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora took a shaky breath before continuing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you came all the way to California to help me and I didn’t appreciate it.” Catra finally looked up at Adora, her expression unreadable. “I should’ve listened to you and I shouldn’t have shut you out like that. It wasn’t fair and I’m so sorry, Catra.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra looked crestfallen. Adora could only hope that she said the right thing. She looked away, trying to focus on something else besides the dread coiling in her stomach. She wanted nothing more than for Catra to accept her apology or at the very least, say </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Adora’s panic was stalled when the soft response came a few moments later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry too.” Catra said, voice wavering. Adora hated when Catra was like this. Adora hated seeing Catra sad or upset. And it felt so much worse knowing it was her fault.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Adora was confused. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She</span>
  </em>
  <span> was the one who had hurt Catra, not the other way around. So what did Catra have to apologize for?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I shouldn’t have blocked you or ignored your messages.” Catra started again, returning her focus to the cup of hot chocolate in her hands. “It was my fault too. I let my anger get in the way of resolving anything and… I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra hated apologies. Adora had known this since they were in first grade and Catra scratched one of the other girls in the class just because she thought Adora liked her better. Which, was far from the truth. But seven year old Catra made a vow to not apologize for anything. And while she had said sorry a few times over the years, it was nothing like this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora wanted to reach out and take Catra’s hand in hers. She couldn’t even imagine how hard it must’ve been for Catra to not only listen to Adora, but to apologize as well. Adora wanted to deny it, to say that there was no reason for her to be sorry. She wanted to say a lot of things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me.” Adora was interrupted by a little voice coming from her right. She turned to see two girls, no older than seven. One was brunette and the other was blonde. The brunette was the one who had spoken. If Adora was honest, part of her was thankful for the interruption. She wanted to talk to Catra, but had also no idea what to say. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry to interrupt,” A more mature voice came from behind the girls, probably one of their moms. “But my daughter and her friend are huge fans and they just wanted to get a picture.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Damn it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora knew she should have put her sunglasses back on when they left the shop.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, it's fine! Of course we can take a picture.” Adora answered, waving off the mom’s apology. There were a lot of things she had grown tired of in her career, but meeting fans wasn’t one of them. It meant the world to Adora that there were little girls who looked up to her. She had been just like them, not too long ago.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora left her hot chocolate on the bench and got up to kneel down by the girls. She wrapped her arms around them and smiled as the flash went off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are your names?” Adora asked after the picture was taken.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Rey and this is my friend Rose.” The blonde, Rey, spoke up. While Rose had seemed shy to approach Adora, Rey seemed confident as ever.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora spent the next few minutes talking to the girls about their favorite songs and how excited they were for Christmas. The mom thanked her again for talking to the girls, and Adora assured her once more that it was really no trouble.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Adora turned back, she watched as Catra got up from the bench.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The ride back home was silent once again, but the air felt clearer this time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora knew they weren’t done talking about everything, but it was a start. Catra’s eyes were glistening a bit, but she didn’t talk about it and Adora didn’t press.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they got home, they had about an hour to get ready. Catra decided she would get ready on her own while Glimmer helped Adora.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only reason Catra could have this hour or so alone to get ready was because of Glimmer’s beauty phase of seventh grade. She had been obsessed with makeup and spent hours in her room watching tutorials. When Glimmer wasn’t practicing on her own face, she was chasing Catra down and begging her to wear just a bit of eyeliner. Catra couldn’t even count the number of times the family was dragged to Ulta and Sephora that year.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it worked out well enough. By high school, Glimmer was less annoying about it and actually really good at makeup. She taught Catra some of the basics, just smokey eye shadow and mascara and eyeliner. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Every dance they went to in high school involved some of the girls in their grade coming over so Glimmer could do their makeup. Bow would even get his done too. As it turns out, he was very fond of sparkly eyeshadow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now, Catra sat at the vanity in her room while contorting her face in order to properly apply her mascara. She was going for something simple - just a bit of mascara and eyeshadow. The lipstick she had chosen was a deep shade of red. Not too bold, but noticeable enough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra had brushed out her hair and curled it while trying to convince herself that she was most definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> putting more effort than usual into her appearance just because Adora was here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She slipped on a few silver rings and grabbed her suit from where it was hanging in the closet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Black paints and a matching blazer, paired with a dark maroon satin blouse. Catra had bought it a few months in advance because shopping during the Christmas season was #3 on her list of the worst things ever. Plus, it was just her style and fit perfectly. She couldn’t just leave it on the rack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One Catra had gotten dressed and left the first few buttons of her blouse undone, she checked out the window. Cars filled the streets and some family friends were already walking to the house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra checked in the mirror one last time, nervously smoothing out wrinkles that weren’t there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This is it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora slipped on her dress after her makeup was done. Glimmer had insisted on putting on some eyeshadow, lip gloss, and mascara. Adora’s hair had been curled and now splayed across her shoulders in golden waves. It was different from her usual ponytail, but it looked nice all the same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Glimmer had painted her eyelids in neutral shades, somehow making the grey of her eyes look more blue. Adora’s eyelashes looked a bit longer, and her lips were shiny. Glimmer absolutely loved the dress, and almost didn’t believe Adora when she said Catra had picked it out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Glimmer was wearing an off the shoulder purple dress with a silver belt. She swept her hair to the side with a pearl clip. Her makeup was more bold, but it fit her just the same. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bow had popped in the room occasionally to check up on the two, even letting Glimmer paint his eyelids silver and add some mascara. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three were dressed and ready. Guests had already started filtering in downstairs, and the only thing left to do was join the party.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra was early to something for once in her life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She made her way down the hallway and gigantic staircase to help Spinnerella and Netossa bring the food in. It wasn’t much, but it was something she could help with. It was also something that would distract her from Adora.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra had to remind herself that their relationship wasn’t mended yet. The air was clear for now, but there were still a lot of things they had to talk about. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra had seen Adora dressed up plenty of times. During award season, it was practically impossible to see any article that wasn’t about Adora’s latest red carpet look. But this time felt different. It was more personal. Catra had picked out her dress. Adora’s makeup and hair were being done by Glimmer, and not some fancy stylist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora looked great in red carpet pictures and photoshoots but </span>
  <em>
    <span>god</span>
  </em>
  <span> was she ethereal in person. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra had always known Adora was pretty. She knew Adora was pretty when they spent summer afternoons biking through town. Adora was a sweaty mess but Catra almost crashed her bike because she couldn’t keep her eyes off of her.  She knew Adora was pretty during the countless school nights they spent in Catra’s room when Adora was so concentrated on school work that Catra could sneak glances without getting caught. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra had finished bringing the food in and headed to the foyer to make sure there was no other busywork she could do. But as she neared the staircase, she heard her sister’s voice getting louder as Glimmer made her way down the stairs. And if Glimmer was there than so was-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora. She was walking down the stairs, head thrown back in laughter at something Bow had said. But for that moment, Bow wasn’t there. Glimmer wasn’t there. No one was there besides Adora and Catra. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a cliche Catra hated. When the girl makes a big entrance at a party or a dance and the guy embarrasses himself by just standing at the bottom of the staircase and gaping at her. Catra remembers making fun of it when she would watch those stupid romance movies with Adora.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it was different now, it was different because it was Adora. This was not some stupid romance movie, this was a Christmas eve party. And Catra wasn’t some dumb guy who totally did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> deserve the female love interest. This was Adora, the woman she had been in love with before she even knew what love was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora’s eyes met Catra’s and the entire world fell apart around them. Catra didn’t move, she couldn’t move. It felt like she had no control over her body anymore. And it was all because of Adora. She was a force. Adora was an overwhelming wave and Catra was so overtaken and overwhelmed and drowning, but she wanted to keep sinking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora looked like she felt the same way, stopping for a brief moment on one of the bottom steps before pulling herself back to reality and down the rest of the way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra wasn’t in control of her body. She felt like she was in the backseat, watching as someone else made the moves for her. She barely even felt herself go through the motions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All she knew was the overwhelming need for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Adora.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fueled by nothing but adrenaline and aching want, she made her way over to the bottom of the staircase and grabbed Adora’s wrist. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra didn’t even see the look on Adora’s face. All she knew was Adora’s wrist in her hand as she let Catra pull her to the back deck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It was cold, and there was no one on the deck besides the two of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Christmas lights were woven in between the openings in the railing, a light dusting of snow covering the entire deck. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra knew she shouldn’t be doing this. She knew that it was way too cold outside and Adora was her best friend and it was selfish to want her like this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra had avoided making a move forever because not having Adora like this was better than not having Adora at all. They had barely talked since Adora came home, but there was something that pulled Catra to Adora. Like this invisible string was tied tight around their hearts and wouldn’t loosen until they had found each other again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And a few months apart was nowhere near enough to ruin the years they spent together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last few months were spent hoping Adora would show up at her door and tell Catra she was sorry and she wanted her too. And Adora had done that (or most of it).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And yeah, Catra knew there was still more to talk about. They had barely touched the surface as they sat on that bench in the park. Adora could apologize for ignoring Catra’s help and continuing to overwork herself all day long, but Catra needed to know that Adora would promise to take care of herself. That she wouldn’t let Weaver or anyone in the industry come above her relationships. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last few months were also spent crying when a song of Adora’s came on the radio, or when she was the first headline or trending topic Catra saw on twitter. It was just a cruel reminder of the person she had lost. The woman she loved was everywhere in the world but with her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But now, Adora was </span>
  <em>
    <span>here.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She was in Pennsylvania, on this little Christmas tree farm. She wanted to talk to Catra, and she already had. Adora had showed up on Catra’s doorstep and told her she </span>
  <em>
    <span>canceled the tour</span>
  </em>
  <span>. They weren’t where they needed to be, but it was enough for now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Because while Catra wanted the apologies and explanations and the proper mendings of the relationship, she just wanted </span>
  <em>
    <span>Adora.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if you’re mad at me,” Adora’s voice was shaky, her arms wrapped around herself as if they were the only thing that would protect her in this moment while she let her guard down. Catra watched as small clouds of breath left Adora’s mouth. “And I totally get it! You have every right to be mad and… and if you hate me I totally get that-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Adora.” Catra cut her off. She didn’t drag Adora out here just so she could steal her moment. Catra would have laughed if she wasn’t burdened by the weight of what she was about to do.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra took Adora’s face in her hands and kissed her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When their lips met, their spark turned into a flame that set Catra’s entire world on fire. She felt Adora’s cheeks heat under her hand and the only thing that mattered was Adora’s lips on hers. And then it hit her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra was </span>
  <em>
    <span>kissing </span>
  </em>
  <span>Adora.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra was kissing </span>
  <em>
    <span>Adora.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was what she had wanted for as long as she could remember, but Catra had no idea what force had taken over and possessed her to do it now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was overwhelming. Adora was an assault to all of her senses. Catra felt Adora tense up, and she worried that Adora didn’t want this. That Adora didn’t want </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> like this. Did Catra misread the situation? Was Adora going to be mad at her?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra pulled away, feeling breathless as the invisible weight of her actions crashed down on her chest. Her arms fell from Adora’s face, all of a sudden feeling way too heavy. She watched as Adora slowly opened her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora would tell Catra she shouldn’t have done that. It was inappropriate and messed up and they hadn’t even talked through everything yet. Adora would say how she never saw Catra like this, and that she didn’t want to see her again. All of Catra’s worst fears would come true and Adora would pack up and leave for good. Adora didn’t want this. Adora would never-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you.” Adora’s voice was barely above a whisper, but the words were still too loud.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra felt her mind go blank. Any words that she could’ve said died on the tip of her tongue as she seemed to forget every word in the english language.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard the words, but her brain wasn’t registering them. It felt like hearing her French teacher speak French. Catra knew the language, but the words just didn’t sound the same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It felt like the time Adora started playing softball and made Catra pitch for her as she practiced batting. One of the balls hit Catra right in the stomach, knocking the breath out of her. That was what those three words did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Adora loves you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Adora loves you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra tried repeating the words in her brain, desperately trying to make herself realize that they were real and not only was Adora okay with the kiss, but she </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved </span>
  </em>
  <span>Catra.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-” Catra couldn’t get the words out. There were so many things she wanted to say. She had been waiting for Adora to say these words for years, </span>
  <em>
    <span>dreaming </span>
  </em>
  <span>about what the confession would be like. But she wasn’t as prepared for the reality of it as she thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead of finishing her sentence, Catra leaned up and kissed Adora again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This time, Adora responded. She kissed Catra back as her hands found their place on Catra’s waist. Catra tangled her hands in Adora’s hair, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss. She poured every single unspoken feeling into the kiss, all the words she couldn’t say, and hoped Adora would understand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a mess of tongue and teeth as they lost themselves in a world that was completely their own. Catra was a mess of a person as she melted in Adora’s arms, despite the freezing weather. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their lips slotted together as if they were two pieces of a puzzle that had been lost for the longest time and finally found each other again. Adora’s hands fit on Catra’s waist as if they were made to be there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra was desperate to be closer to Adora. She could hold Adora in her arms for the rest of her life and it still wouldn’t be enough. It was so </span>
  <em>
    <span>much, </span>
  </em>
  <span>the need Catra had for her. She hadn’t realized it was this bad until she saw Adora coming down the staircase and something just </span>
  <em>
    <span>snapped.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was no more ignoring this or denying the fact that she was very much in love with her best friend, and always had been. Avoiding Adora was eating her up alive, and Catra couldn’t be apart from her any longer, especially when she was right in front of her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra’s hands moved to wrap around Adora’s neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were kissing. Catra was here, and she was kissing Adora. Adora who loved her. Adora who was kissing her back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra reluctantly pulled back, desperately trying to catch her breath. She watched Adora open her eyes, just as breathless as she was. For a moment, they stood there with their foreheads pressed against each other, letting their clouds of breath fog up the air between them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra was so caught up in Adora that she almost didn’t notice it was snowing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Flurries blew through the air, a few landing in Adora’s hair and on her nose. Catra was fucking freezing but for once in her life, she didn’t care. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t care about a lot of things right now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra didn’t care about the fact that everyone watched her pull Adora outside. She didn’t care that her lips were probably blue and she would most likely wake up with a cold the next morning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t care about anything else besides Adora.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra watched as Adora’s face broke out into the biggest smile. It was nothing but pure happiness, and Catra couldn’t help the grin that spread across her own face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had a long way to go. Catra and Adora needed to sit down and finish talking about everything. There needed to be a time for them to clear everything up and understand what exactly happened a few months ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were a beautiful disaster, a messy kind of perfect. The kind of perfect where you know not everything is okay, but in this one moment it is and that's enough. And as Catra and Adora held each other out in the cold, it was just </span>
  <em>
    <span>right.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra knew that Adora was here to stay. She heard the unspoken promise that she wouldn’t let Catra leave again. They had a lot to work through, but they didn’t need to worry about that right now. They had all the time in the world. And Catra wasn’t going to waste anymore of it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you too.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>merry christmas &amp; happy holidays everyone!!</p><p>i really didn't expect such a reaction on this fic but im so glad you all liked it!</p><p>this was originally supposed to be a oneshot but you guys loved this story so much and i do too, so i thought i would add another chapter</p><p>// cw for homophobia,, its pretty brief but better safe than sorry</p><p>enjoy! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Catra awoke to the same sunlight streaming in the same window as she did every other day. The only difference, however, was that she was not alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right next to her, breathing slow and steady, was Adora. The blonde had her arms wrapped around Catra’s waist, her face resting in the crook of Catra’s neck. Adora’s breath was warm against Catra’s skin, eliciting goosebumps and burning blush from the woman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two were a mess of tangled limbs and blankets sprawled out in the queen sized bed. Catra couldn’t feel her left arm, as it was currently buried underneath the sleeping woman across from her. But she didn’t care. Not one bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Because Catra was here with Adora. Adora, who she loved. Adora, who loved her too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face as she remembered the aftermath of the confession.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>So…”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Adora started after they broke away from the kiss.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Words, Adora.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Catra laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Does this mean we’re like…. dating?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’re such an idiot.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever heartache Catra had endured over the past few months was worth it. Because now she could wake up on Christmas morning, right next to her girlfriend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra was hesitant to move at first. She didn’t want to wake Adora up, but she also </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> missed being able to feel her arm. Her hesitation may have also been due to the fact that she could stay here with Adora forever.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, she slowly removed the covers and tried to carefully maneuver herself out of Adora’s grip. Adora protested in her sleep, lazily wrapping her arms around Catra even tighter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be right back, I promise.” Catra whispered. It seemed to satisfy the sleeping woman, as she loosened her hold on Catra long enough for her to climb out of bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra put on her slippers, the ones with little cat ears that Adora had gotten her a few years ago, and tiptoed out of the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra intended to go to the bathroom and come right back. But of course, nothing was ever that simple in this family.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With one last look at the beautiful mess of covers and blonde hair curled up in her bed, Catra quietly shut the bedroom door. She let out a sigh of relief and turned around to-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jesus fucking christ!” Catra shouted in a whisper, as it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>way</span>
  </em>
  <span> too early in the morning to raise her voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she shut the door with her back to the hallway, she had been completely oblivious to the fact that she had an audience.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bow and Glimmer stood in the hallway, just to the right of the door. Bow seemed absolutely ecstatic, fidgeting around as he tried to contain his excitement. Glimmer, on the other hand, kept her face almost deadly serious. They balanced each other out so well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what happened to you last night?” Glimmer’s voice was stern, as if she were a parent scolding their child.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right. Last night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After Catra and Adora had their moment on the deck, they decided to skip the rest of the party all together. They made small talk for a few minutes with various guests, but that was about it. The two grabbed plates and stuffed them with as much food as they could carry and rushed up to Catra’s bedroom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They spent the rest of the night eating and talking and laughing. It was one of those talks that lasted forever, and Catra had so desperately hoped it would. It didn’t matter what the conversation topic was, Catra was just glad to be there with Adora.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They didn’t end up going to bed until about three in the morning. Adora decided to ditch her own guest room all together and just crash in Catra’s bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora had been so exhausted from the past few months of barely sleeping that Catra barely managed to get her to change into some sweats before she passed out on the bed. Catra gently took a makeup wipe to the eyeshadow and mascara on her sleeping girlfriend’s face. Luckily, Adora was so tired that she had slept right through it. Catra joined her soon after.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Initially, they had started out on opposite sides of the bed. But as the night went on, they found their way into each other’s arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I kissed Adora.” Catra stated plainly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I knew it!” Bow exclaimed, wrapping Catra up in a hug before she could escape.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get off of me!” Catra protested, but made no move to get out of the embrace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You guys are just so cute!” Bow pulled away, keeping his hands on Catra’s shoulders. If this were a cartoon, his eyes would be sparkling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am not cute!” Catra groaned. She looked to Glimmer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her sister’s reaction was not what she expected. Glimmer didn’t look serious or mad anymore. Instead, her eyes were wide and filled with tears as she smiled softly at her sister.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sparkles, are you crying?” Catra laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course I am!” Glimmer punched Catra’s shoulder before pulling her sister into a hug. “I’m so happy for you two! Also, it’s about fucking time. My god, you’ve had a crush on her for what? A decade?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Glimmer!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just saying!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora awoke to the smell of cinnamon rolls and a cold vacancy in the spot next to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She distantly remembered falling asleep next to Catra, the vague memory making Adora’s cheeks burn.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora was so caught up in Catra and her absence that she almost completely forgot it was Christmas morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She rolled over, grabbing her phone from the nightstand to check the notifications.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>38 missed calls, 23 unread text messages, and 9 voicemails. All from Weaver.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora groaned, dropping her phone on the bed before bringing her hands up to cover her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra had made her promise last night that she wouldn’t overwork herself. Adora had agreed because, well, Catra was right. And she had just found Catra again, she wasn’t losing her now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra </span>
  <em>
    <span>hated</span>
  </em>
  <span> Weaver. She had since Adora first started working with her. Catra said she was weird and creepy, even affectionately naming her ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Shadow Weaver</span>
  </em>
  <span>’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even if Adora would never admit it, she was on Catra’s side on that one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora held back for so long. She was America’s sweetheart. She was supposed to listen to her manager and be a good pop star. Weaver kept her on a vigorous schedule of interviews and meet and greets so she could appear nice and involved. Adora was never supposed to publicly voice her opinion on certain topics or get in any drama (even if it meant standing up for herself). </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Almost everything in her life had to be done with Weaver’s consent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You’re doing this tour.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’d be nothing without me.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I got you where you are. Show some appreciation.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora’s patience had grown thin over the past few months. After Catra left, she was just going through the motions. She knew she had to push back at Weaver, or at least stand up for herself. Catra had called her a pushover for how she let Weaver treat her. But nice girls don’t stand up for themselves. Nice girls don’t say no to any interview or picture. Nice girls don’t fire their managers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora was done being nice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She picked up the phone again, checking to see that the most recent call was from about an hour ago. Adora pressed on the contact named ‘Weaver’ and waited for the answer. The woman picked up in less than one ring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Finally, Adora! God, am I even allowed to know you’re alive at least?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Weaver practically yelled through the phone. She knew Adora was fine. And Adora’s wellbeing didn’t actually concern her anyway. It’s not like Weaver actually cared. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You’re going to listen to me and-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” Adora bit out, cutting off the woman on the other end.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Weaver let out a wicked laugh. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>No? Oh, Adora. What do you think you’re doing?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I’m about to fire my manager.” Adora stated, noticing the rare beat of silence from the other woman. “You don’t get to control me anymore. I know what I’m doing. This is my life, not yours.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Adora’s emotions weren’t overshadowed by pure anger, her voice would </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> have been this steady right now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I made you into the pop star you are today. Don’t forget that, Adora. Do not forget your place-</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> have forgotten your place. I am here because I </span>
  <em>
    <span>worked</span>
  </em>
  <span> for it. Did you spend hours in your bedroom everyday writing songs? Did you miss out on normal teenage things because you were busy making albums?” Adora got up from Catra’s bed, beginning to pace the room as she tried to calm down and lower her voice. “Did you write an album by yourself at nineteen because people told you that you couldn’t do it? No. That’s because </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> did that. Me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Weaver was silent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t do shit. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>helped</span>
  </em>
  <span> me get the record deal and then </span>
  <em>
    <span>manipulated</span>
  </em>
  <span> me into doing whatever you wanted. And we both know that you have violated your contract on more than one occasion.” Adora took a deep breath. She needed a moment to collect herself before she said it. “You’re fired. I don’t want to see your face </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> again. You’re going to leave me the hell alone from now on. Have a good day, Weaver.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora hung up the phone and for the first time in ten years, she could </span>
  <em>
    <span>breathe</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just let me brush it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re going to torture me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra darted to the right side of the kitchen island, narrowly avoiding her sister on the other side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Once Bow and Glimmer were done congratulating Catra on </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally</span>
  </em>
  <span> kissing Adora, the three made their way to the kitchen to start preparing breakfast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra decided she would help out, as she was already in such a good mood after waking up next to her girlfriend. Glimmer had prepared the dough while Bow mixed the cinnamon and sugar. Catra decided she would start on the icing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she fell asleep, Catra didn’t brush her hair before going to bed. It was a wild mess, but it was as tamed as she could manage. To start helping with the cooking, she threw it in a bun but apparently that was not good enough for </span>
  <em>
    <span>some</span>
  </em>
  <span> people.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Catra! At least let me put it in a ponytail?” Glimmer pouted and looked at Catra with the best puppy dog eyes she could manage. She could be so stubborn sometimes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine.” Catra tried to keep a straight face, but couldn’t help the smile that tugged the corners of her mouth when Glimmer practically jumped with excitement at Catra’s surrender. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra sat on one of the stools by the kitchen island, making conversation with Bow as Glimmer finger-combed her hair into the best ponytail she could manage. Catra turned around at her sister’s request, allowing her to fluff her bangs into place and pull out small pieces to frame her face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we finish breakfast now?” Catra sighed, hopping off the stool. She was about to walk back around to the other side of the island when a figure coming down the stairs caught her eye.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora looked almost unrecognizable from the woman who had shown up on Catra’s porch the other day. Her posture was remarkably better, as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. The bags under her eyes had almost completely vanished overnight. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora’s golden hair hung around her shoulders in the loose leftover curls from yesterday. She wore a pair of red pajama pants with penguins on them and a loose white tee shirt. Catra thought she had never looked better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You come here often?” Catra teased, watching the big dopey grin that spread across Adora’s face. The blonde wrapped Catra into a hug, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The day passed by in a blur of laughter and wrapping paper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unlike most families on Christmas, the Brightmoons opened their presents later in the evening. Neither Glimmer nor Catra were keen on waking up early in the morning, no matter what gifts were waiting for them under the tree. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Micah and Angella had always put a few presents under the tree for Adora, a tradition that continued through this year as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra and Glimmer opened their presents, Glimmer’s wrapped in holographic wrapping paper and Catra’s wrapped with paper covered in different kinds of cats. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra had received a leather jacket, new boots, clothes, books, and a few other small things. Glimmer (to the surprise of no one) excitedly unwrapped makeup pallets and at least three new hair tools that Catra had never heard of before, but would probably find out their purpose soon enough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Micah and Angella had gifted Adora some new guitar picks, notebooks, and an essential oil diffuser. The last gift was “to relieve stress” as Micah said, causing an eruption of laughter from the group. It was a much needed gift, to be fair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bow had stayed the night, of course. The four now occupied the couches in the living room, Glimmer curled up into Bow on one and Catra laying her head on Adora’s lap on the other. They had all given each other something among the lines of gift cards and other things pertaining to their individual interests. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra and Adora decided they would exchange their presents later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bow and Glimmer were about to leave for Bow’s house for dinner with his dads and brothers, as he had just mentioned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s about time.” Catra sighed, trying her best to maintain a casual expression.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bow and Glimmer shared a nervous look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Time for what?” Glimmer asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, sparkles,” Catra said. “People typically bring their significant others home to meet the parents at some point.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra watched with growing amusement as Glimmer’s face turned bright red. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But- I,” She sputtered, looking at Bow with wide eyes. “How did you know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra sat up, looking straight at the two. It was obvious from the first day they met, the fondness they had for each other. And even if it wasn’t, Catra’s suspicions of Glimmer’s crush were confirmed by her reaction to Bow attending their freshman dance with Perfuma instead of her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, you two are actually dating?” Adora asked. She had, after all, spent the last ten years being oblivious to the fact that Catra was in love with her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bow covered his face with his hands, trying to hide his darkened cheeks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We were gonna tell you guys but-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my fucking god!” Catra laughed as she got up from the couch to tackle her sister. “I knew it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora walked over, wrapping Bow in a gentle hug before pulling away to wipe the tears from her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m just so happy for you guys.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Glimmer pushed Catra off, watching as her sister tried to sit up before doubling over in laughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bow and I are going to leave now!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>After some more teasing on Catra’s end, she eventually joined her girlfriend in congratulating the couple before they left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora and Catra now sat on the couch alone in the living room, Adora watching some shitty Christmas movie and laughing at Catra’s criticisms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora took her head off of Catra’s shoulder, looking into gold and blue eyes with so much love and admiration that Catra felt light headed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Presents?” She asked. Catra nodded, the two reluctantly getting up to retrieve the gifts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once back on the couch, they sat to face each other. Adora reached out with a box wrapped in bright blue paper, insisting Catra open her gift first.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra didn’t protest. She held the box in her lap as she ripped off the wrapping and carefully examined the delicate white box in front of her</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know you’re supposed to open it, right?” Adora teased.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut up!” Catra lightly pushed Adora, watching as the blonde laughed at her own joke. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra looked back at the box, finally opening the lid to reveal it’s contents. Her breath caught at the sight of it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On top of the white tissue paper sat a small cassette tape. It was labeled with a small piece of tape, reading </span>
  <em>
    <span>“IOMWIWY - For Catra :)”</span>
  </em>
  <span> in faded sharpie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>2006</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So… what did you think?” Adora asked, setting her guitar down on the bedroom floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra couldn’t think of words at the moment. The only thing she was able to do was stare at her best friend in complete awe. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora had come over unannounced with guitar in hand, standing completely out of breath on Catra’s doorstep with the explanation that she had just finished a song.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora signed with Horde records a month ago and was about to leave for California in a week to start recording her first album. She was biking to Catra’s house almost daily, with a new song to play for her each time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But this time… this was different.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The song was titled “I’m Only Me When I’m With You” and Adora had said she wrote it about Catra - </span>
  <em>
    <span>for</span>
  </em>
  <span> Catra. The lyrics were filled with words of how important Catra was to Adora, and essentially how Adora couldn’t live without her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra was sixteen. She didn’t know much about love.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But how convenient for her to realize she had feelings for her best friend right as she was about to move to California.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The song was amazing and wonderful and a thousand other feelings that no combination of words in the English language could capture. Catra wanted to listen to it forever, just to cherish the feeling of having someone care about her like that. Catra wanted more than anything to assume that Adora had written the song because she wanted Catra too, but Adora probably only thought of her as just a friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I- I loved it.” Catra whispered, trying her best not to kiss Adora right then and there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Adora could respond or ask for confirmation that Catra had in fact loved the song, Catra threw her arms around the blonde.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora fell to the floor as a result of the sudden hug. Adora returned it almost instantly though, holding Catra tight despite their awkward position. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra held Adora as if she was the very thing holding her to this earth. She poured all the love and words she couldn’t bring herself to say into the embrace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a while, they finally pulled apart. They lay on the floor, turned to their sides so that they were facing one another. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is it okay if I put it on the album?” Adora asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra thought about it for a moment. It was a beautiful song. Of course Adora should put it on the album.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it wasn’t how Catra wanted to listen to it. Catra wanted to hear the song over and over again without the heavy production and autotune. She just wanted Adora and her guitar, right as it sounded on her bedroom floor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but only if I get a copy of it first.” Catra smiled. “No autotune or anything. Just you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra never got the copy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Weaver, Adora’s new manager, insisted that any and every copy of her music went straight to her or the label. Weaver explained that Catra might leak it or sell it to the media. Adora had insisted that simply wasn’t true, but Weaver didn’t listen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead, Weaver made Adora change the lyric ‘just a small town couple girls’ to ‘just a small town boy and girl’ to uphold the image of the perfect, straight, girl she wanted Adora to be. She needed the entire nation to be in love with Adora, and Weaver felt that just couldn’t be possible if that singer was openly </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> straight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora apologized over and over again for it. Catra said she completely understood and that it wasn’t Adora’s fault her manager sucked. But part of her always wished she had gotten that version of the song.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What Weaver didn’t know, however, was that Adora </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> have a copy of the song. Adora biked home the very day she played it for Catra and recorded it as soon as she ran up to her room. She labeled the cassette and even added a little smiley face, intending to give it to Catra the next day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Weaver had called that night to ask Adora about how far she had gotten in her writing. Adora gushed about the song she wrote, telling her manager she had a copy of it that would go to her best friend first, but she could record it for Weaver if she needed it. Her manager shut down the idea immediately, leaving Adora to hide the cassette tape in an old shoe box in the back of her closet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>_______________</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Present Day</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You-” Catra looked at Adora in pure disbelief. “Is this-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora nodded. “I recorded it the day you asked for a copy. Weaver said I wasn’t allowed to give out a copy of my unrecorded music. But I kept it, just in case.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra grimaced at the mention of Weaver.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Weaver can’t tell me what to do anymore, though.” Adora’s words barely registered in Catra’s mind. “Because I fired her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just when Adora thought Catra’s eyes couldn’t widen anymore, they did. Catra’s mouth fell open, the woman practically gaping at Adora. The blonde couldn’t hold back her laughter at the reaction. The laugh was filled with pure joy. Joy at finally firing her manager. Joy at being free. Joy at the presence of the woman sitting across from her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora’s giggles were cut off when Catra practically tackled her down on the couch, putting an arm on each side of the blonde’s head to prop herself up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora’s face was red, golden waves partially shrouding her face. Catra tucked a piece of hair behind Adora’s ear, causing a momentary pause in the laughter. Catra seized the opportunity and closed the distance between them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The kiss was soft and slow. Adora wrapped her arms around Catra’s neck almost immediately, pressing the two even closer together. After a while, Catra pulled away to catch her breath and admire the woman underneath her. Adora was flushed and out of breath, her lips swollen. She was the most beautiful thing Catra had ever seen. Catra leaned forward once more, this time stopped by a finger Adora pressed to her lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you liked my gift?” Adora asked in all seriousness. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you idiot.” Catra laughed, kissing Adora once more before sitting back up. “I loved it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra reached for the red box by her side, holding it out for Adora. The blonde smiled as she accepted the gift, ripping the wrapping paper off as carefully as possible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra knew that there was nothing that would ever be able to top the gift Adora had given her, but she could still try.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once the wrapping paper was completely ripped off, Adora opened the lid of the box with a gasp.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inside was the framed picture of Adora and Catra from Adora’s first time on the farm. It was the same as Catra’s lockscreen, the picture that Adora loved and hadn’t seen in forever. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora felt a warmth bloom in her chest at the sight of the two. It was a memory she had cherished for years, so filled with love and joy. Adora ran her fingers along the dark wooden frame.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Open up the back.” Catra said, smiling nervously as she awaited Adora’s reaction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora turned the picture over, turning the locks on the back of the frame. She slowly lifted the backing to reveal a small note.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfolding the piece of paper, Adora traced her fingers along the crayon that covered the page. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A rough drawing of Adora and Catra was scrawled in blue and red crayon, with a heart between the two. By the writing in the corner that read “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Catra - ‘97”</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it was most likely drawn when they were in first grade and had just started being friends. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra smiled as Adora admired the artwork. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Catra had decided on what to give Adora, she asked Micah for a copy of the picture. He pulled out an old photo album containing the original photo. Beside it was a piece of artwork that Catra had done that same day, wanting to express her love for her new friend. Micah saved the drawing and the picture, putting them right beside each other in the photo album. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora finally tore her gaze away from the picture, looking at Catra with eyes that were already brimming with tears. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Catra…” Adora set down the frame and accompanying drawing carefully, pulling her girlfriend into a tight embrace. “I love it so much. Thank you.” She whispered into Catra’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra laughed softly, feeling the tears starting to prick her own eyes. Adora finally let go, taking Catra’s face in her hands and kissing her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>When they pulled away, their foreheads stayed pressed together. It felt like forever had passed before one of them finally broke the silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, I can’t believe you like me.” Adora teased.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is not because I like you!” Catra scoffed. It was such a cliche, but she could have sworn she felt her heart skip at the sound of Adora’s laughter. She pulled away to look at her girlfriend. Delicate grey-blue eyes met hers and Catra fell all over again. The two were emotional trainwrecks right now, and Catra wouldn’t have it any other way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is because I love you.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I LOVE THEM SO MUCH</p><p>there were a good amount of comments on the last chapter so you can find me on twitter at @/ reputationism !! im not on spop twt that much but at least you know where to find me :)</p><p>i can't promise that this will be the last chapter, but i think this is it for now </p><p>i hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>you're welcome</p></blockquote></div></div>
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